Diary of a Wanderer

On our way to Banff we had stopped off to admire the incredible Johnston Canyon. The trip had continually proven to us the power and beauty of nature and we were left once again admiring another one of its feats. The way the water has carved its route over thousands of years through layers of rock is simply amazing. Throughout history, day and night, it has not once ceased to run its stream. Except when nature has caused it to freeze in its tracks and take time to pause, until the time is right for it to run again. I love nature. I love the fact that it has endured throughout time and that its beauty surpasses anything that mankind could create. My Dad always says that if trees could talk, imagine the stories they could tell, having watched the world go by for hundreds of years. Nature creates forces that humans can only wish to control- fire, water, the weather. Forces so strong that regardless of how clever and empowered we think we are as humans, we have no choice but to be humble...

The final stop on our trip was in Banff where the smoke was still lingering. A bigger town than most of the others on our trip, we were able to wander along the main high street, dipping in and out of stores and looking at all the touristy tat that was on offer. We were staying in a beautiful resort just outside the centre of town, which would have offered incredible views of the surrounding forests and mountains, had we been able to see them!  Ashley had been dying to go mountain biking since he had set eyes on those that were geared up in Whistler taking on the dry slopes. Whilst that had looked ever so slightly too intense for the rest of us, we were happy to have a go on our last day in Banff. We hired some bikes and set off on a trail that started from the hotel. A gruelling uphill start implied that this was not going to be a walk in the park... We soon left the footpath and found ourselves bumping over fallen tree trunks and around sharp bends. Ash had zoomed off ahead,...

The thick smoke looked like it really was here to stay and we woke up the next day to warnings on the news advising people not to go outside as the air quality was "off the scale" it was so bad. However, with only one day to explore this beautiful area we were not in the position to stick around indoors. We bundled into the car once again and headed to the lake. We had read about arriving early due to crowds but on arrival it seemed evident that people might not be sticking around for long to admire the views. What was to be a breathtaking, never to be forgotten view had sadly lost its charm with the supposed clear water and incredible mountains completely shielded from our sight. It was absolutely devastating. Especially after hearing so many recommendations and seeing so many spectacular pictures. Nevertheless we were up for making the most of what we had, and set off on a hike.  A smokey but beautiful Lake Louise Our wandering was to take us up, past Mirror Lak...

The day of spectacular driving had arrived as we headed to Lake Louise along the Icefields Parkway. A World Heritage Site, the highway is renowned for its stunning views and we anticipated a journey surrounded by the beauty of the Rockies and breath-taking scenery. As we loaded up the car we couldn’t fail to notice how thick the smoke had become. We desperately hoped that as we headed south the smoke might have dissipated. I can sadly say that our prayers were not answered! The 230km drive provided us with clear views to about 50metres in front of us and no more. It was ever so slightly heart-breaking. You could feel that you were surrounded by greatness and grandeur, but the infamous Rockies were only a faint outline in the distance against the thick smoke. As for noticing the difference of moving from the Montane to the Subalpine zones, shown through the difference in trees- no chance! Still, every cloud (of smoke) has a silver lining, right? On our way to the Glacier We sto...

(August 23rd-26th ) With two full days in Jasper, this was to be our longest stop on the trip, and after some research I wasn't sure if there was actually that much to do here, especially in comparison to when we had been desperate for more time in Whistler and Clearwater. Nevertheless, we still had a fair few things we wanted to tick off, with the first being the Jasper skytram taking us 2300m up to the top of Whistlers Mountain. Getting there at 11am we were still faced with a wait for an hour and a half until our tram time to take us to the top. With only two trams, one went up while the other came down. With about 15-20 people able to fit in a tram it went without saying that we got in our queue early to secure a position near a window! And what a view we were rewarded with for doing so. On our journey up the surrounding Rockies were revealed to us, snow capped, as the cold spell the night before had actually been freak weather, bringing with it some unseasoned snow! As we c...

(22nd August) Before we knew it we were packing up again! It seemed too soon to be leaving and we certainly hadn't had enough time to truly appreciate the beauty of the place. We needed at least one more day- we were desperate to take the kayaks out on the lake in front of our cabins! But time was something we certainly did not have enough of on this holiday! Our next destination- Jasper in the Rockies. As we headed back along the track road to Clearwater we finally got a clear view of those infamous beauties that British Colombia and Alberta rave about. 3 black bears, a mother and her 2 cubs were in the middle of the road as we headed around the corner in the car. As we approached the mother and one cub shot right, the other little one headed left. Slowly passing the spot we waited down the road until a little face timidly came out of the bushes, before hiding again and finally carefully crossing the road to be united with its family. A few photos later we could finally say...

(20th-22nd August) After some research it was clear what Wells Gray, the National Park down the road from Clearwater, was famous for- Whitewater Rafting and Waterfalls. So for our brief time here, this was the order of the day. We woke up early and headed into Clearwater town to Interior Whitewater Expeditions. We met our guides, Scottie and Kade, who would have our lives in their hands for the next four hours and hopefully wouldn't let go of them! We headed into Wells Gray Park, up another bumpy road along the side of the river, until we reached our put-in spot on the riverbank. After chucking the raft on the river we clambered in ourselves and set off. Scottie gave us a run through of all the instructions and also a quick safety briefing which left us wondering if we had been better off just taking kayaks out at the calm lake of Alpine Meadows instead! It wasn't long before the rapids themselves were upon us and we were paddling "easy/hard forward" (these ...

(20th August) This was the day my Dad had been dreading the most on the holiday. The long drive from Whistler to Clearwater had arrived. Admittedly the night before he realised it was only around 500km instead of the 700km he had originally thought. So we hit the road more optimistic that expected. it wasn't long before I spotted a bear, admittedly through a hedge in a field and we whizzed past without stopping leaving everyone else wondering if I really had seen one. We kept our eyes peeled for the next 7 hours to no avail. The variations in terrain were quite impressive as we drove across British Columbia. We went from thick alpine forests which steeped up the sides of the mountains to large plains with yellowing grass on which a couple of deer grazed. I have never seen a landscape so beautiful. The roads were long, well kept and quiet. As we climbed up the sides of mountains we were met with sheer drops and tight hairpin bends...  it was a hair-raising experience to say the l...

(17th-19th August) Monday was the day a hopefully faithful new companion would be joining our adventure. Heading to the airport to meet her, we were greeted by a red, rather large beauty. With 7 seats and a spacious boot, this Chrysler had been given the job of getting us from A-B-C-D-E-F-G. After loading up, we hit the Sea to Sky highway which ensured our journey was accompanied by spectacular scenery, with mountains, rivers and lakes. We stopped at the Sea to Sky Gondola in order to appreciate the views, taking a ride up to the top of a mountain near the town of Squamish. This was to be the first of many beautiful scenic spots on our holiday. We arrived in Whilster village a couple of hours later and checked into Delta hotel. The village was clean and pedestrianised, on a slight slope as it was originally designed as a village that could be skied through. We couldn't help noticing that the village felt quite superficial in its design, slightly like it was simply designed a...

(14th August-17th August) Being home in August was coinsidentally perfect timing for the family holiday, which this year is a roadtrip from Vancouver through British Colombia and the Rockies in Canada. The nine hour flight with Air Canada was as good as a flight could be. With inflight entertainment and delicious food, we really could not complain at all. We were staying at the Rosedale on Robson and easily reached the hotel using the Canada Line, which has been operating in Vancouver since the 2010 Winter Olympics. Slightly jetlagged we weren't up to too much on the afternoon of our arrival, which was a shame because our time in Vancouver was limited! However we were up early the next day and caught the free shuttle bus to the Capilano Suspension Bridge from Canada Place. I was glad to see the structure of the bridge has advanced since it was first constructed in the 1800s! Whilst there we also did the clifftop and treetop walk whilst collecting stamps in our little advent...